Adaptation to climate change is an urgent task not only on a national level but for all nations around the world. Within Vietnam, the Son La province has emerged as a successful example of cooperative development. This study aims to confirm the role of agricultural cooperatives in climate change adaptation in order to provide recommendations to cooperative developments as solutions in environmental protection. Đề tài Hoàn thiện công tác quản trị nhân sự tại Công ty TNHH Mộc Khải Tuyên được nghiên cứu nhằm giúp công ty TNHH Mộc Khải Tuyên làm rõ được thực trạng công tác quản trị nhân sự trong công ty như thế nào từ đó đề ra các giải pháp giúp công ty hoàn thiện công tác quản trị nhân sự tốt hơn trong thời gian tới.
Trang 11 Introduction
As a result of the Industrial and the challenges
and strengths it brought to social economic
development, the pursuit of building a sustainable
world is becoming a strong focus both nationally and
internationally Climate change is the most urgent
concern in the field of sustainability as mentioned
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) co-chair Panmao Zhai: “Climate change is
already affecting every region on Earth, in multiple
ways The changes we experience will increase
with additional warming [1]” Actually, the average
weather conditions and weather variability of a
region (or the planet in general) are changing and
will continue to change with time These changes are
monitored by variations in temperature, precipitation,
wind, storms, and other indicators such as sea level,
which are also used to measure climate change
Much of these variations may also change the type,
frequency, and intensity of various crop and livestock
pests, the availability and timing of irrigation water,
and the severity of soil erosion In other words, the agricultural sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors to the impacts of climate change [2]
As a managed ecosystem, agricultural systems directly influence production and food supply Thus, understanding accurate climate change impacts
in short and long-term agricultural development is crucial [3] For example, land degradation, agricultural area loss, low productivity, and air pollution often appear in the short term whereas global threats to food security are long-term threats Under these conditions, it is necessary to adapt to climate change
to reduce damages as well as increase survival For suitable pathways, agricultural cooperatives are mentioned as a business form that strongly concerns community and farmer benefits This is because these cooperatives have been established by farmer groups (e.g., Farmers’ Voluntary), including a majority of smallholders at extremely poor or grass-roots levels [4] The cooperatives serve their members through the following main actions: (a) Supplying farm input
Agricultural cooperatives and climate change adaptation - Case study in Son La, Vietnam
Thi Hai Vu, Thi Diem Hong Phi * , Dang Hoc Nguyen, Quang Trung Tran
Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Trau Quy Town, Gia Lam District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Received 21 December 2022; accepted 10 March 2023
Abstract:
Adaptation to climate change is an urgent task not only on a national level but for all nations around the world Within Vietnam, the Son La province has emerged as a successful example of cooperative development This study aims to confirm the role of agricultural cooperatives in climate change adaptation in order to provide recommendations to cooperative developments as solutions in environmental protection Based on the concepts of climate change adaptation in updated reports from the Vietnam National Determination Contribution in 2020, this study applies diagnostic and cause-effect analysis to concentrate on highlighting contents and pointing out evidence of Son La cooperatives’ roles The findings show that these cooperatives have significant responsibilities in the orientation of green and safe production, and strongly contribute to reducing negative activities that destroy agricultural ecology Additionally, cooperatives are also effective actors in linking officers and farmers in the implementation of environmental protections and are leading applicants of solutions for mitigation and adaptation to climate change in rural areas and in agricultural production
Keywords: Son La agricultural cooperatives, Son La climate change adaptation, Son La cooperatives
Classification numbers: 2.2, 4.1
* Corresponding author: Email: ptdhong@vnua.edu.vn
Trang 2services like seeds, fertilizer, and machinery; (b)
Marketing services such as transportation, packaging,
distribution, and product marketing; and (c) Credit
services to facilitate farming activities [5] Moreover,
agricultural cooperatives can link rural communities
with higher scale public and private institutions
including governments, development agencies, and
agribusiness companies These partnerships can help
limit greenhouse gas emissions from cooperatives
and, by their definition, are a possible channel to
promote local adaptation and mitigation measures
to climate change Cooperatives are in solidarity
with the surrounding community to reduce negative
impacts of climate change on people and the
environment by following environmental standards
and promoting local production and marketing
as opposed to long distance transport among
consumers and producers Per the conclusion of the
Sustainability Solutions Group (2014), cooperatives
represent a systemic solution to global challenges in
energy, transportation, housing, retail, employment,
and the economy This indicates that a good solution
to confront climate change is through cooperative
enterprises [4, 6]
Son La is a mountainous province in northwest
Vietnam Since 2015, Son La’s cooperative
development has been in the top 10 highest rate of
growth by province out of the entire country The
rapid growth of cooperatives, with 192 cooperatives
in 2015 to 661 cooperatives in 2020 [7], means
that the increasing number of members partially
contributes to benefits for farmers as well as adaption
to climate change In legal terms, cooperative
development policies are considered a key agenda
of not only provincial but also national policies to
improve the rural sustainability economy Recently,
at the national level, Resolution No.20-NQ/TW by
the 5th National Committee in 2022 confirmed that
continued efficiency innovations and cooperative
developments that are oriented toward value chains
are to be the mainstream of agricultural improvement
[8] In line with the provincial regulation, Resolution
No.23-NQ/TU by Son La People Committee enacts
that the development of cooperatives directly
follows the green economy and circular economy as
prioritized in the action plan of Son La [9]
Unfortunately, a preliminary survey shows
that most members’ motivation for taking part in
cooperatives is not to adapt to climate change, not
working together as originally intended Meanwhile, the agricultural ecosystem has been strongly damaged
by climate change in recent decades According to a report by the Son La Provincial People’s Committee (2019), during the last 10 years many flash floods, landslides, and hailstorms occurred causing heavy losses of lives and livelihoods and especially agricultural products During the period 2018-2019, extreme climate events damaged more than 2,600 hectares of rice; 1,900 ha of maize and crops; more than 1,200 hectares of fruit trees; and dozens of tons
of aquatic products that were washed away
In terms of advancing the cooperative response
to climate change by cooperative development, the aim of this study is to find solutions for agricultural cooperative development in Vietnam Wherein, the following three main objectives are identified: (i) Highlight concepts behind the roles of cooperatives
in adapting to climate change; (ii) Point out evidence
of cooperatives’ attention to environmental concerns
in agricultural production; and (iii) Suggest some viewpoints and orientations for farmers/households
to become cooperative members to adapt to climate change in Vietnam
2 Methodology
2.1 Approach description
In this study, prior research in climate change and multiple cooperatives’ roles in sustainable development were reviewed as secondary data to collect adapted solutions through cooperative models This was the background to design the survey/ fieldwork in the next steps The roles of cooperatives
in supporting its members for adaptation to climate change in each stage (i.e., input, production, and postharvest) were observed to identify the advantages
of the cooperative model in terms of reducing impacts from climate change Literature such as academic journals or research reports (formal and informal) were gathered from different sources including national and local government offices and available internet data
In the context of adaptation, a study based on reports from the National Determined Contribution (NDC) at the Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was updated and published by the Vietnamese Government in 2020 [10] Indeed, the
Trang 3adaptation component is defined as the minimization
or reduction of damages from climate change by
applying appropriate prevention methods and using
efficiency resources
Moreover, for the purpose of supplying practical
evidence for the argument made in this article,
participatory action research (PAR) was applied to
three cooperatives as emerging study cases in Son
La Interviews were conducted to call attention to the
functions/roles of cooperatives in adapting to climate
change Each PAR interview lasted at least 90 min
and followed up on specific, academic questions
while secondary data were collected mainly during
2020-2021 with partial updated figures done in
2022 Diagnostics and cause-effect analysis were
combined to provide findings or recommendations
to the local government in cooperative development
2.2 Framework analysis and limitation (Fig 1)
With the results of the literature review as a
guide, the authors conducted field trips to document
evidence of climate change adaptation by the
cooperatives in Son La To verify the findings from
prior research, this study collected data and
information based on semi-structured questions
in PAR interviews of local officers, cooperative
members, households, and farmers Any activities or
achievements by the cooperatives to reduce climate
change was identified as a contribution to adaption in
this model Consequently, this research’s limitation is
that any available samples, rather than the quantity
of samples, proves the role of cooperatives in climate
change
Fig 1 Research framework analysis.
To compile the evidence, this study documented the authentic situation of three specific cooperatives that were introduced by local officers as having activities that reduce damages made by climate change These cooperatives are described in the following case boxes to examine the existing roles or action plans that cooperatives use to better climate adaption than an individual household or farm The concept of a cooperative’s role in adapting to climate change is revealed by diagnostic and cause-effect analysis These results are significant references for issuing recommendations as a part of our research objective
3 Results
3.1 Climate change situation in Son La province
One of the most obvious aspects of climate change
is global warming In the period of 1986-2020, the average temperature of Son La tended to increase over the whole province Bac Yen was the lowest average temperature of all districts in Son La However, over the past 30 years, the average temperature of Bac Yen has increased significantly The average temperature
in Bac Yen in 1986 was 20.5oC and in 2019 and
2020 it was 22.3oC and 21.8oC, respectively The average temperature in Bac Yen has increased by 1.3-1.8oC during the period of 1986-2020 (Fig 2) Meanwhile, in Yen Chau, with one of the highest annual average temperature districts in Son La, the average temperature in 1986 was 22.8oC This number had risen to 24.7oC and 24.4oC in 2019 and
2020, respectively, increasing by 1.9oC and 1.6oC compared to 1986) shown in Fig 3
According to the climate change scenario of Son La province (2021), the average temperature will continue to increase into the 21st century Correspondingly, the average annual temperature of the early 21st century (2015-2035) will increase by 1.64oC (range from 1.15 to 2.00oC) In the middle years of the 21st century (2046-2065), the average temperature will rise by 2.09oC (range between 1.88 and 2.22oC) Finally, at the end of the 21st century (2066-2099), the average temperature will expand
by 2.73oC (range from 2.38 to 2.88oC) compared to the period of 1986-2005 (Fig 4)
Trang 4Fig 4 Temperature scenario during the 21 st century in Son La
province Source: [11].
In parallel with the escalation of average temperature, the hot weather season (summer) in Son La will begin earlier and end later, while the cold weather season (winter) will start later and end earlier During the period of 1986-2020, the number of hot days (≥35oC) measured by all the hydro-meteorological stations in Son La province tended to increase (Fig 5) Meanwhile, the number
of days of chilling cold (≤15oC) and biting cold (≤13oC) tended to decrease (Fig 6) The change in average temperature has directly impacted farmers’ production timetables, especially in cultivation Some plants may ripen or be harvested at unusual times, and there could be earlier as well as longer cultivation times Therefore, farmers may pay more fees or work longer during cultivation
Fig 2 Average temperature at Bac Yen in the period of
1986-2020 Source: [11].
Fig 5 Number of hot days (≥35 o C) Source: [11].
Fig 3 Average temperature at Yen Chau in the period of
1986-2020 Source: [11].
Source: [11].
Trang 5From 1986 to 2020, the total annual rainfall did
not have significant fluctuations, but the rainfall
occurred irregularly (Fig 7) In 1986 and 1998, the
rainfall was low (less than 1,000 mm) Conversely,
the rainfall increased dramatically in 2008 (more
than 1,800 mm) However, rainfall was mainly
concentrated in the rainy season (from April to
September), which accounted for more than 80% of
the rainfall for the entire year The abundant rainfall
is mainly in July and August (Fig 8) Rain occurred
capriciously and the total amount of rain remained
constant while the rain period was short, causing
floods, droughts, and greatly affecting human life and
agricultural production
3.2 Current status of agricultural cooperatives in
Son La
Son La has been one of the top ten leading
provinces in terms of the number of cooperatives
in Viet Nam in recent years The growth rate of
the number of cooperatives in Son La is nearly two
times higher than the national average growth rate
[13] In 2020, the number of cooperatives in this
province was 661 of which 85% were agricultural
cooperatives [7] During the past 10 years
(2010-2020), the number of newly established and active
agricultural cooperatives in Son La increased sharply
from 90 to nearly 600 in 2020 (Fig 9)
The Son La agricultural cooperatives take part
in all stages of the production process from input, production, and output stages Although the proportion
of profitable cooperatives is not high, accounting for only 34% of the total number of agricultural cooperatives in 2019, lower than the national average [13], by their specific activities, they have initially played a role in supporting their members
in all stages of the production process (Fig 10) Typically, low input price as well as the advantages
of output market linkage have attracted many farmers
to be participants of cooperatives Meanwhile, the supporting local and national policies for agricultural development such as funding, exporting schemes,
or high-tech applications have been motivations of agricultural cooperative establishments rather than other forms of cooperatives in Son La
Fig 7 Rainfall in Son La in the period of 1986 to 2020 Sources:
[12]. Fig 8 Distribution of rainfall by month in Son La province Sources: [12].
Fig 9 Number of agricultural cooperatives in Son La over the period 2010-2020 Sources: [12].
Trang 6Fig 10 How agricultural cooperatives support their members
during the production process.
During 2015-2022, many local governments
have released plans to encourage agricultural
cooperative development such as policies to support
the development of production, processing, and
consumption of safe agricultural products in the
period of 2018-2021 (Resolution No.76/2018/
NQ-HDND) (Table 1); policies to encourage the
investment in agriculture and rural areas (Resolution
No.128/2020/NQ-HDND); etc Unfortunately, the
majority of agriculture cooperatives in Son La are
small in terms of assets, capital, and size of members
The average assets and revenue per cooperative are
1.07 and 2.00 billion VND, however, average profit
and income per labour of agricultural cooperatives
in this province are higher than the national average
(Fig 11)
Table 1 Performance of agricultural cooperatives in Son La,
2018-2020 Source: [14].
Criteria
2018 2020 +/- %
Total number of members
Average number of members per cooperative (person) 12 12 Total management (person) 1,800 2,720 920 51
Average number of managers per cooperative (person) 4 4 Board of manager per
cooperative (person) 2 2 Accountant per cooperative
Control board per cooperative
Average assets per cooperative
Average revenue per cooperative (million VND) 1,700 2,000 300 18 Average of profit (million VND) 133 200 67 50 Average income of a regular
employee (million VND/month) 2.5 4 1.5 60
Fig 11 Performance of agricultural cooperatives in Son La and
Vietnam in 2019 Source: [14].
Fig 12 Proportion of cooperatives under different regions in 2020
Source: [14].
Trang 7Most agricultural cooperatives are concentrated
in Regions 2 and 3, where the economy and other
conditions are still difficult as they remain vulnerable
to the impacts of climate change (Fig 12) In addition
to supporting members in all stages of the production
process, the average income of agricultural
cooperative members and labours in 2020 was 4
million VND/month, more than twice higher than the
average income of people in this province which is
1.7 million/month [15] Therefore, the development
of cooperatives in this area also plays an important
role in ensuring social security, increasing income,
and improving the capacity of households to better
adapt to climate change
Cooperative members agree that the benefits
they receive when joining cooperatives are buying
better quality input, increasing their awareness of
technology, complying with environmentally friendly
production regulations, or reducing production costs
3.3 Cooperatives and adaptation of climate
change
3.3.1 Performance of adapting to climate change
The change in weather and climate is becoming
increasingly extreme Meanwhile, climate change
impacts on agricultural production in particular and
people’s life in general are increasing Agricultural
production has applied many measures and strategies
to cope with the impacts of climate change such
as access to climate information and forecasting to
build appropriate seasonal plans; choosing new crop
varieties that are more drought resistant, have good
low-water-use efficiency, or are pest resistant [16,
17]; crop diversification [18]; planting varieties of
trees and employing agroforests systems to minimize
risk [11]; diversifying farmers’ income to improve
adaptive capacity [16, 19]; cropping adjustments,
changing the growing and harvesting calendar
to respond to the changing of climate [19, 20];
applying technology innovations like drip irrigation
technology [21] and planting new varieties and
breeds with high productivity [22, 23]; adopting new
production management and practices [16, 20]; and
re-using inputs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to mitigate climate change Among them, a very
important solution is to improve people’s adaptive
capacity through increasing capital (human, social, political, financial, natural, and cultural capital) and resources (technology and infrastructure, information, knowledge, institutions, and the capacity to learn) [11] for long-term living with climate change, which can turn the above solutions into a reality
Many researchers indicate that, at the individual level, the application of these measures to adapt
to climate change have faced many barriers One
of the main factors pointed out is lack of finance
[19] Households with small production scale, lack
of access to finance is limiting for innovation and technology investment to respond to climate change [17] Furthermore, lack of access to timely forecast information [18, 23]; limited knowledge about new farming techniques; poor skills; lack of information about availability and access to government support [4]; inadequate access to input/output market information [23]; lack of training; and even lack of motivation to pursue are constraints to Asian farmers’ adaptation
In addition, some adaptation methods such as crop rotation, good agricultural practices and the use of organic fertilizers are often costly, can take a long time
to apply, and have not been effective in the short term, leading a smallholder to give up easily
Cooperatives operate at collective economic models and play as a significant actor in addressing these difficulties of the household level They contribute to changing members’ awareness of climate change and its impacts by sharing and providing weather information, organizing training courses or acting as a bridge for members to participate in training courses organized
by government and non-governmental organizations Agricultural cooperatives choose scientific results such
as new varieties, new farming techniques, and new technologies in accordance with their members’ status
to cope with climate change They guide eco-friendly processes and support techniques for members [6, 24] and encourage members to pursue good agricultural practice [24], thereby contributing to changing production and business habits of each member that may be harmful to the environment In addition, the cooperative also acts as a bridge to mobilize and attract financial and social resources from both public/ private institutions and NGOs to promote investment in climate-smart agricultural activities Thus, cooperatives
Trang 8have contributed to improving adaptation capacity,
changing awareness, and enhancing resilience to
climate change for members [6, 24, 25].
3.3.2 Adaptation in Son La cooperatives
Agricultural cooperatives in Son La province,
through their activities, are direct and indirect support
to farmers to improve capacity and find solutions to
confront climate changes
(1) Encouraging green and safe production
According to the report of the Son La Provincial
People’s Committee (2021), over 56% of agricultural
cooperatives in this province are vegetable and fruit
cooperatives in which nearly 16% of production
cooperatives have VietGAP or Global GAP
certificates Through good agricultural production
practices according to the VietGAP and Global
models, like reducing the use of pesticides and
chemical fertilizers and reusing inputs at each
stage, agricultural cooperatives in Son La province
are directly contributing to the promotion of green
production, environmental, and agro-ecosystems
protection Fruit cooperatives contribute to
afforestation of hillsides to avoid soil washout In
addition, with successful cooperative models, they
create a positive spill over effect, contributing to
educating and promoting members and communities
to pursue environmentally friendly production
activities
Case 1: 19/5 Agriculture and Services Cooperatives,
Son La (Source: Survey, 2020)
The circular economy model contributes to:
(1) protecting agro-ecosystems; (2) crop/business
diversification; and (3) sustainable development The
19/5 Agr Coop was established in 2000 in the Moc
Chau district They have run diversity business fields
including agricultural production, processing, and
providing agricultural tourism services They apply
good practices for livestock and farming, maximizing
the reuse of waste products at each stage as an input
for the next stage For instance, the vegetables and
tubers leftover from cultivation, waste from processing
become feed for livestock, and waste from livestock
can make fertilizers for cultivation, fuel/biogas
for processing, and fresh products for farming and
processing provided to tourists and traders
Their activities not only decrease waste and minimize carbon emissions to the environment, but also reduce about 15% of the production costs
In addition, the pursuit of clean, environmentally friendly production as well as diversification of activities helps cooperatives better adapt to risks This contributes towards sustainable development
of cooperatives, especially in the current context of climate change and pandemics
(2) Enhancing adaptive capacity for members
Case 2: Ngoc Hoang Cooperative in Mai Son, Son
La (Source: Survey, 2020)
In order to support farmers to combat against increasing pests and diseases in their crops and
to have success in supplying output products and collecting more funds for next crop, the Ngoc Hoang Cooperative was established including 10 optimal members in 2016 Notably, this cooperative works
to provide all inputs including seeds, materials, fertilizers, and pesticides to members with guaranteed quality at a price about 5% lower than the market price In cases when their members faced financial difficulties, the cooperative sent to them the policy of buying first - paying later
Moreover, the cooperative also promises to buy all member products at least 10% higher than the market price In addition, the cooperative promulgates the production process, training, and guidance for members to reduce pests and diseases, increase productivity, and ensure quality As a result, since joining the cooperative, the average income
of members reached 6-8 million/person/month by
2020 with some households having revenues around
Trang 9500-600 million/ha/year Many household members
have escaped poverty and increased their financial
and technical capacity actively to effectively adapt
the climate change At the end of 2020, the number
of members increased to nearly 200
As mentioned above, agricultural cooperatives
support members through all stages of the production
process from supplying inputs, organizing joint
purchasing, and supporting production to connecting
outputs Specifically, cooperatives provide
information about quality inputs at reasonable prices
or introduce new varieties, which are suited to the
vagaries of the climate Cooperatives also instruct
and assist members in production techniques and
output connection According to the report of Son
La Provincial Cooperative Alliance in 2020, there
were 171 models of agricultural production and
business cooperatives associated with value chains
in the province, which have supported members to
promote production and product consumption Those
activities have contributed to decreasing producing
cost, increasing member income, and enhancing
members’ adaptive capacity and resilience.
(3) Promoting the application of new technologies
and techniques to proactively adapt
Under the impact of climate change and the
influence of extreme weather phenomena on
agricultural production, the cooperatives have
applied adaptation measures to minimize damages
and to become proactive and ready to cope
Case 3: Tu Nhien Cooperative in Moc Chau, Son
La
This cooperative model has been successful in
planting off-season vegetables and adapting to the
weather in Moc Chau To confront the change of
weather, link production of clean vegetables, and
ensure product output, this cooperative has selected
new higher quality vegetable seeds like chocolate
tomato, strawberries, cabbage, cauliflower, and
so on, as well as change their seasonal calendar
to adapt to local weather The cooperative actively cooperates with stakeholders to organize training sessions on transferring and applying technology according the VietGAP by using microbial fertilizes They invested in high-tech applications for producing like sprinkler, rotary, and drip irrigation systems to reduce water loss They control and monitor the production process in accordance with the VietGAP process, ensuring product quality The cooperatives’ products have been consumed in large supermarkets, industrial kitchens, and schools inside and outside the province thereby increasing income for members
by 10 times that of old crops like rice or maize
In particular, to reduce damage caused by hail, acid rain, and pests, the agricultural cooperatives have applied high-tech cultivation like using nets/net houses to reduce fruit drop caused by hail; or covering crops to minimize water evaporation; and using drip irrigation systems and automatic irrigation to adapt
to water shortages and drought Crop diversification, crop rotation, and intercropping are applied to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience Short-term crops such as beans and peanuts are inter-cropped with fruit trees, helping to increase income for producers In addition to coping with extreme weather, the cooperatives have changed their seasonal calendar and crops Poor drought-tolerance crops are replaced by varieties, which confer tolerance to drought such as replacing rice and maize by citrus fruit trees The use of new varieties, which are more resistant to pests and diseases for higher economic efficiency, is also one way that cooperatives choose
to adapt to climate change Agricultural cooperatives have also increased training for members to improve their capacity to transform crops to adapt to climate change
(4) Improve climate change knowledge of members
Under current local and national policy for cooperative development, training programs including agricultural technique, financial accounting, and administrative management have been annually conducted for members of cooperatives not only in Son La but also in almost every province Actually, according to annual report
of Son La Provincial Cooperative Alliance, during 2019-2020, this Alliance did successfully organize
49 courses in business administrative management for 2,684 learners and 5 courses in agricultural
Trang 10producing techniques for 184 learners The funds
of these courses were supported mostly by the
Co-operative Assistance Fund (CAF), local governments,
or NGOs
Through these courses, besides providing safe or
organic producing knowledge, fieldtrip or farm tours
or visits are conducted to share good practical models
Consequently, many participants of cooperatives have
been enriched in knowledge about climate change
Fortunately, many of them perceived that they need to
improve their current production to adapt to climate
change in order to increasing success Moreover,
each of them also becomes a trainer to innovate or
share experiences with other members to produce
more safely and with higher quality
Additionally, depending on the local government,
some departments at the commune level have been
found to provide climate change knowledge for
farmers or members It is a typical case in the Quynh
Nhai Commune of Son La, where an Aqua-cultural
Consulting Office has been established as specific
local government department in 2016 to guide
most Fishery cooperatives in keeping a clean water
environment or to use qualified feeds as a reaction to
climate change
4 Discussion and recommendations
4.1 Discussion
4.1.1 Orienting to green and safe agricultural
production to adapt to climate change
Under conditions of safe or organic cultivation,
chemical fertilizers have been reduced or eliminated,
therefore, the soil and water system have suffered
from fertilizer poison previously [26] According to
ICA (2014), in some cases, the technique of organic
production can lead to a significant program of climate
change adaptation to identify strains or methods that
are more resilient to changing climate conditions The
requirements, however, of these cultivations are often
from a Vietnamese farmer or household resource,
especially in the land area prerequisite Meanwhile,
the cooperative model can solve these obstacles
because of gathering multi-individual resources as
farmer group From an ICA report in 2014, an organic
cooperative successfully developed a farmer-owned
wind farm and their operations do not use synthetic
fertilizers This means that cooperatives applying safe
cultivation often strongly influences green production
orientation on their members
In fact, the research observation in the case of the 19-5 Cooperative that applied the circular economy model (including safe and organic cultivation), each member taking cooperatives needs to agree to keep cultivation safe by reducing the use of pesticides, increasing the use of biological products, and contributing to afforestation of hillsides to avoid soil washout The members of cooperative have conducted many positive operations for climate change adaptation Typically, the cooperative also maximized the re-use of waste products at each stage, which is used as an input for the next stage, limiting emissions to the environment, protecting land, water, and air resources under the context of green production As a significant achievement, through this cooperative, the farmers as the cooperative members have benefits in not only the input material price but also agro-ecosystem protection, at least compared to non-members at the same location
4.1.2 Effectively innovate in the community to adapt to climate change in rural areas
The original purpose of a cooperative is to include any person who has similar motivations and conditions
of earning money, that is willing to improve her/his economic condition, agrees the general principles
of cooperative as a volunteer, and is considered to
be participant or cooperative member Actually, under the current law on cooperatives (2012), one cooperative needs at least 7 members in minimum for startup Many cooperatives in Son La have members who are also members of a family These members join together in almost all activities of the cooperative, therefore, operation in climate change adaptation or mitigation by cooperative impacts their members greatly and can easily inspire the benefits
of adaption to those in or outside of organization As mentioned in ICA (2014), cooperatives are a source
of stability for communities [24]
During the fieldtrip to Son La, the study collected information from many farmers who were at first not
a member of cooperative, but after observation of the good practice cooperative model they had a desire
to become a member of a cooperative According to Nguyen Thu Huong (2021), not only in Son Lan but also in many other provinces, the farmer takes part
in the cooperative when her/his relatives are also members of agricultural cooperatives Many of them